Secret Letters

I love all things Sherlock Holmes (if haven’t seen the BBC show, Sherlock – it’s definitely worth your while), so it wasn’t surprising that when I saw Secret Letters come across my desk I picked it up immediately.  Secret Letters, written by Leah Scheier, is an interesting take on Sherlock Holmes.  Dora, a sixteen-year-old debutante, jumps at the chance to meet Sherlock Holmes when her cousin needs some professional help to find some ransomed love letters.  But, when they arrive in London, Dora comes to find that Sherlock has died and she may never get to meet the man that is not only her idol, but quite possibly her biological father.  She comes in contact with Peter Cartwright, a young man who had worked under Sherlock Holmes and before she knows it, she is dressed like a maid and is involved in a case to save a kidnapped heiress.

Dora is an inquisitive, curious, observant young lady who knows more than she should about strangers, just by looking at them and is not interested in being a lady – she’d rather be solving crime.  I found this book to have a lot of adventure, some great surprises, and written in a way that transported me straight to Victorian England.   The only thing I was slightly concerned about was that the original mystery seemed to be left slightly unfinished – the reader never really understood the importance of the love letters, otherwise I loved the setting, the different take on Sherlock Holmes, and the characters.  If you want another female perspective of Sherlock Holmes, check out The Enola Holmes mysteries written by Nancy Springer , about Enola Holmes the younger sister of Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes.

Check out Leah Scheier’s website with a lot of great information and her own personal blog!

Title: Secret Letters
Author: Leah Scheier
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: 2012
Page Number: 327 pgs.